TULSA, Okla. – Garmin revealed their new trolling motor, the Garmin Force, at ICAST this month with great reviews. The new trolling motor won the award for Best of Show: Boating Accessory, and Garmin pro Fred Roumbanis is excited that it’s ready for the public.

“There’s been buzz about the Garmin Force for a couple of years now,” Roumbanis said. “I would imagine this has been in the works for at least a few years. Probably a lot of secret meetings over the years.”

The Arkansas pro relies on Garmin electronics while competing on the Bass Pro Tour, but now will be able to pair it up with the Garmin Force.

“Being able to use my Garmin transducer and Garmin trolling motor, let’s just say they have blended the two together very nicely,” Roumbanis said. “There’s no interference and that’s great because you don’t want to miss anything while you are out on the water.”

Light Weight, Easy Stow

Another feature Roumbanis is a big fan of is the light weight of the motor itself. He says it’s so light, easy to put down and stow away that his kids can deploy it. That light weight paired with strong programming makes for a happy Roumbanis.

“Garmin made it so easy to stow away this trolling motor,” Roumbanis complimented. “I can program my prop to always face the inside when I want to pick it up instead of having to work the pedal to get it there. That helps me a lot when I’m traveling and needing to put my boat cover on.”

Need for Speed

The speed of the Garmin Force is what has Roumbanis the most excited. He tested out just how fast the motor could take him with a few passengers on the boat. The results were better than he expected.

“The speed of the motor is unbelievable,” Roumbanis said. “I had five guys on the boat the other day and we got it up to 4.4 mph. That’s really fast. If you only have one person on the boat or maybe two, you could probably get up to 5 mph. The best part of that is that the motor uses 30 percent less power. Whether you’re using a 24- or 36-volt battery, you’ll be saving plenty of power.”